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When Declan Finn mysteriously started to lose some of his mental and physical abilities, became extremely fatigued and all but stopped talking, his parents searched for an explanation of his deteriorating health. "He was such a vibrant, articulate little boy and we slowly watched him slip away," says his mother, Beth. During the family's long search for medical answers, Declan's behavior became uncontrollable (he was even thrown out of school) and he started to drag the right side of his body. By the time Beth brought him to Children's Hospital Boston in 2003, she and Declan were frustrated beyond words with the many misdiagnoses. After running tests, Children's specialists performed a biopsy revealing that Declan had an inoperable brain tumor. "I was actually relieved," Beth says. "We finally had an answer and a path as to how to make Declan better."
Declan's chemotherapy treatment had a 50 percent chance of success. After several rounds, specialists did an MRI to gauge how the treatment worked. To the Finn's great relief, the cancer had completely disappeared. Still, Declan wasn't expected to regain mobility in his right side. But he fought against those odds, too, and slowly regained strength—he's now walking, smiling and even climbing trees (like the one in Children's Prouty Garden, pictured here).
Declan just celebrate his 12th birthday and has been cancer-free for 2-and-a-half years. "He fought like a dog to beat this," Beth says. "He's come a long way." He regularly returns to Children's to see several specialists who help him physically and mentally. "He's working toward his own goals," says Beth. "Recently, he learned to tie his shoes. He rejoices in every little step." One of Declan's biggest next steps is writing a book about his spiritual journey through cancer, focusing on the special nurses, volunteers and doctors he says helped him to hang on during the toughest times. He says it's meant to inspire others through their own journeys through cancer, encouraging them not to give up.
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